


rose-coloured boys

by venusbot



Series: tsukkiyama week 2019! [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bookstores, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, commoner kei, it's kind of a mess honestly, prince tadashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 18:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20012851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venusbot/pseuds/venusbot
Summary: The ballroom was huge - something that shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him, seeing as it had to host a majority of the population of the entire city. There were streamers and balloons strung high on the ceiling, but what caught his attention was the huge banner saying “HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCE” in big, bold letters. There were people everywhere he looked, mulling around with fancy-looking glasses in their hands.And then Kei looked towards the dais and stopped breathing.[in which there are festivities, tadashi just wants something to read, and kei is very, very oblivious]





	rose-coloured boys

**Author's Note:**

  * For [douxii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/douxii/gifts).



> tsukkiyama week day one: royalty!
> 
> HELLO this is my first haikyuu fic And my first royalty au fic ever + this fic is for cammie, for being the best person ever and introducing me to these boys and helping me with this fic i love u so much babe!! 
> 
> title from 'rose coloured boy' by paramore

Contrary to popular belief, Kei didn’t hate the festivities. 

He hated the hordes of people that crowded the streets, shoving and pushing and pulling just for a chance to see the royal family. He hated the loud, off-key fanfare that played every time the King waved at the public or said anything. He hated the ripoff game stalls that were obviously rigged so that you could never win, and he hated the food stalls that served the most oily and greasy food imaginable. 

But no, he didn’t hate the festivities. (He just wished everyone would stop worshipping the royal family like they were gods descended upon earth.)

Which is how he found himself sitting by the windowsill on the top floor of his father’s shop, books strewn across the floor and all around him while he gazed out the window at the parade making its way through the city. He wasn’t sure what exactly they were celebrating this time, but he thought it might be some sort of harvest festival - it was nearing the start of summer, and the seasonal crops were ready. He wasn’t sure why he was looking at the parade so intently, either; for some reason, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the floats that seemed to glide gracefully across the city’s roads. 

Shaking his head, Kei turned his attention back to the book in his hands. He was reading up about dinosaurs once again, but his brain seemed far away and unable to concentrate on the words in front of him. His family had gone, of course, leaving him all alone at home with nothing but the books to keep him company. The raucous beating of drums from the celebrations drilled into his head, leaving no space for the book’s contents in his head. 

Frustrated, he shut the book and placed it atop one of the many teetering piles spread out across the room. Something was threatening to spill out of him; some unnamed feeling that ate at his throat and clawed at his skin - but he didn’t know what exactly it was, and nor was he willing to put a name to it. Collecting his headphones and phone from where they were lying across from him, Kei selected one of his softer playlists and closed his eyes. He let the music wash over him, trying to shove all the unwanted thoughts out of his brain, and leaned against the window; curling up and trying to get some sleep.   
  


.・゜゜・  ☆ ・゜゜・.   
  


He didn’t get any sleep.

The night had passed fitfully, with Kei only managing to catch snatches of sleep and waking up randomly; and before he knew it, it was morning and he had to get ready for the day ahead. 

Stretching and stifling a yawn, the blonde made his way to behind the cash register in the bookstore. It was summer, and since he had nothing better to do, his dad had entrusted him with the responsibility of running the shop - something he was more than happy to help out with. Their store wasn’t particularly busy, but Kei enjoyed helping customers out with whatever books they were looking for. Besides, it also gave him the chance to just sit and read until responsibilities popped up. 

Today looked like it was going to be a lazy day - it was raining out, and he assumed that most people would still be tired after last night’s festivities - so he settled down comfortably with the book he’d been paging through the previous night. His brain had quieted down some, and it was easier for him to focus. Unfortunately for him, it hadn’t even been fifteen minutes before the windchime to the store tinkled, signalling that someone had pushed open the door. 

His looked up from his book, and at the new customer. He was sopping wet, tracking mud across the shop floor, and looked like he’d just run a mile before landing up there. The dark green cloak he was wearing looked familiar to Kei, for some reason, and when the boy looked up at him he could have  _ sworn _ that he’d seen that face somewhere before. 

Before he had a chance to think about it further, however, the newcomer immediately said, “S-sorry!” 

By this point, Kei had put his book down and was heading towards the customer. Glancing at the mess he’d just brought in and then him again, with his big eyes and apologetic set of mouth, he said (in what he hoped was a reassuring tone), “It’s okay.” 

Looking flustered, the dark haired boy muttered something under his breath, and the water from his clothes immediately vanished into the air, washing away the dirt he’d dragged in as well. Kei tried to control his look of surprise, because while magic users were rare and this was probably the first time he’d ever come into contact with one, he wasn’t about to let that show. Pretending to ignore the spectacle, he simply said, “Welcome to the store. Is there anything I can help you with?” 

He wasn’t sure if he was imagining the other boy’s nervousness as he looked around the shop, as if being there was some sort of crime he wasn’t allowed to commit, but his voice was somewhat steady as he replied, “I want something to read,” 

Kei stared at him. “This is a bookstore,” he said slowly. “That’s usually why people come here.”

Noticing that the boy was getting flustered again, he quickly added, “What sort of books do you like reading?” 

This time, the boy frowned. “Everything,” he said at last. “I like everything.” 

Kei suppressed a groan. Turning around and walking into the bookshelf aisles to find any book that came under the umbrella of “everything”, he left the boy standing by the entrance to do whatever he pleased. After a minute or two, he pulled out a generic fiction novel about an ill-fated romance that most people seemed to like, Kei headed back out of the aisles to find the customer poring over the book that he’d left lying by the cash register. 

As soon as he saw the blonde, the boy’s eyes lit up. “This book looks so cool!” he said, pointing excitedly at the dinosaur book on the counter. “I always thought dinosaurs were super cool but I don’t really know much about them…” His voice trailed off towards the end, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Normally, Kei hated it when people looked at his stuff without his permission - but something about the brightness in the boy’s eyes and the genuine enthusiasm in his voice made him bite back a scathing remark. Instead, in a move that surprised himself more than anyone, he said, “You can take the book, if you want.” 

The other boy’s eyes widened. “Can I  _ really _ ? How much is it for?” 

Shuffling awkwardly on his feet, Kei responded, “It’s not part of the shop. You can borrow it from me.” 

The boy grinned happily at him as he said, “Oh, thank you so much! You’re the best, um…” He trailed off again, realising that he didn’t know the other’s name. 

“Tsukishima.”

He brightened up again. “You’re the best, Tsukki!” 

The sudden nickname earned him another stare, but Kei didn’t say anything yet again. (He told himself it was because he didn’t want to snap at a customer. He knew that wasn’t the reason, but he’d always been good at lying to himself.) 

Just as he was about to return to the shelves to put back the book he’d retrieved, the boy spoke up again. Hesitatingly, he asked, “Is it- is it okay if I stay here for a while longer?” 

“There’s a reading area at the back you can sit in, if you want.” 

Kei didn’t know if it was possible, but the other boy’s grin seemed to grow even wider. “Thank you, Tsukki!” 

He still didn’t know the boy’s name. (He didn’t ask, either.) But he sat with him as he read, anyway.    
  


.・゜゜・  ☆ ・゜゜・.   
  


The other boy soon became a regular at their shop. Even if he didn’t come by everyday, he always made sure to drop by at least once every few days and talk to Kei about whichever book he was currently reading right then. Ever since returning the dinosaur encyclopedia which he had borrowed upon their first meeting, he insisted on buying all the books he took from then on. Sometimes Kei helped him select something to read, but normally, he walked around the store until he found something that caught his fancy, and settled down to read on the cushions that were strewn around the floor of the reading area. (Kei always sat with him, only getting up if there were other customers to tend to.) 

Once, on a particularly slow day, the two had somehow ended up sitting together into the evening, neither of them realising how late it had gotten. They had slipped into quiet conversation, books abandoned, talking about anything and everything under the sun - their favourite foods, places that they’d like to visit someday, artists that they loved. It was then that the other boy had hesitantly said, “My name is Tadashi, by the way.” 

Kei didn’t understand why he looked so nervous as he said it, like he expected the blonde to get up and start sniping at him. Granted, the name  _ did  _ sound familiar to him - but so did everything else about the boy. He didn’t dwell on it. With a simple “Okay,” he steered the conversation towards another direction. 

Sometime after that visit, they ended up talking the same way, again - the other boy had shown Kei something from his book and the conversation had digressed from there into something much bigger, without either of the two realising how low the sun had gotten outside. Which is why Kei started when he heard the telltale beeping of his brother’s motorbike being parked outside. 

Akiteru entered the store, in the middle of announcing his arrival, when he noticed Tadashi there and paused abruptly. He looked like he’d seen a ghost, and Kei was about to question his brother’s weirdness before the older boy immediately turned around and walked out of the store. Bemused, he glanced at Tadashi, a comment about Akiteru on the tip of his tongue. He stopped when he realised that the other boy looked supremely uncomfortable, and wisely decided to ignore what had just happened and change the topic again. 

The next time that Tadashi came to the store, Kei was busy talking to another customer. It was later in the evening than he usually visited, around 6:00 pm, and he looked more flustered than usual, so Kei wrapped up his conversation as quickly as he could and headed towards the other boy - who was browsing through the bookshelves - as soon as the customer left. 

He didn’t say anything, didn’t comment on Tadashi’s restlessness - but he seemed to pick up on the fact that Kei had noticed. Not taking his eyes off the books in front of him, he said, placatingly, “Everything’s fine, Tsukki.” 

Kei didn’t quite believe him, but he remained silent. Just as they both were heading towards the reading area at the back, as was tradition, he heard a phone ring loudly and abruptly. He turned around, seeing Tadashi wince and answer the call with a grimace on his face. His conversation was short and quiet, and Kei couldn’t hear anything except the occasional “I’m sorry” or “It won’t happen again” - not that he was trying to listen. The other boy’s smile was apologetic as he ended the call and told Kei that he couldn’t stay for long and had to leave, and he seemed almost desolate as he left, for the first time without taking a book with him. 

(Something in Kei’s stomach had tightened, at that. He didn’t know what it was, or why it was, but the crawling under his skin was something he recognised feeling.) 

After that incident, Tadashi’s visits grew less and less frequent. He stopped showing up at random hours, instead relegating his visits to either early morning, when the shop had just opened, or late evening, when the shop was closing. He never stayed for long, either, only exchanging pleasantries with Kei and maybe picking out a book or two before leaving as hurriedly as he came. His expressions looked more disturbed and nervous than usual, too - and as much as he wanted to comfort the other boy, Kei never asked him anything. 

It wasn’t long before one day became his last day at the shop. 

Somehow, somewhere along the line, Kei had gotten used to seeing Tadashi’s bright grin every day. Gotten used to the way he laughed quietly after reading something he particularly liked; gotten used to how he used to show it to Kei afterwards; gotten used to the delighted way he said “Tsukki!” every time he saw the other boy; gotten used to simply being around him. And to have that taken away so suddenly and without any warning - he didn’t know what to do anymore. His days felt strangely empty without the excited chatter that the other boy had filled the shop with, and he found himself longing for his company. 

He shook his head and turned up the volume of his phone, filling up the hole in his chest with music.    
  


.・゜゜・  ☆ ・゜゜・.   
  


Summer ended, as all things do, and along with its goodbye came the arrival of school. School was school, as it tended to be, and Kei didn’t care about it enough to develop an opinion on it - he went, he attended his classes, he returned. (On the first day, he found himself searching the halls for a certain dark-haired boy with a grin to rival the sun. He wasn’t willing to admit it to himself, but a part of him had hoped that they went to the same school - even though rationally, Kei knew that the chances of that were terribly low. He had hoped.)

Before he knew it, another two months had passed without any fanfare (or any signs of Tadashi). It was November, and all everyone could seem to talk about was the Prince’s coming of age party - he was turning 18, the gossip said, and the royal family was hosting a  _ ball _ for the  _ entire city _ . Kei wished they would shut the fuck up. 

Which is why his only response to Akiteru’s scheming face was a simple, “No.”

His brother whined from where he was leaning against the doorway to Kei’s bedroom. “You didn’t even hear what I had to say!” 

“You don’t need to say anything for me to hear you,” replied Kei. “So no.” 

Akiteru rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the wall and making his way towards Kei’s bed, where he was sitting. “Just this once,” he pleaded. “Please?” 

Kei shook his head, firmly. 

Frustrated, his brother glared at him. And then suddenly brightened up once again, a telltale sign of another idea entering his head - and this time, he said, “Your  _ friend  _ will probably be there.” 

Kei froze - just for a second, but it was enough for Akiteru to see through. His smirk widened. 

_ Damn it.  _   
  


.・゜゜・  ☆ ・゜゜・.   
  


As Kei stood in line, awkwardly fixing his tie and trying to ignore the gaggle of girls standing behind him, he wondered if this was really worth it. Akiteru was standing next to him, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet and talking to some other stranger in line, leaving Kei to contemplate his existence while staring at the palace walls in front of him. 

The palace was done up beautifully, he admitted grudgingly to himself - there were multi-coloured lights strung across the entire length of it, twinkling like fireflies against the velvety blue that was the sky. He could hear the girls behind him talk about how there were rumours of fireworks later in the night, and he cursed himself for perking up at that. Despite his strong opinions on the festivities, he was willing to admit that there were some gorgeous aspects to them. 

The line to enter the ball was so long that it probably stretched far out into the road, but after what he thought must have been an hour or so of waiting, Kei and his brother were finally allowed to enter the palace. He followed their escort quietly, silently admiring the beauty of the hallways and rooms they passed through before finally ending up at the ballroom. Akiteru nudged him playfully, and Kei stuck his tongue out at him automatically. Distracted, he didn’t notice that everyone else was already moving forward and into the room, and almost tripped over himself in his hurry to enter as well. (Almost.) 

The ballroom was  _ huge  _ \- something that shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him, seeing as it had to host a majority of the population of the entire city. There were streamers and balloons strung high on the ceiling, but what caught his attention was the huge banner saying “HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCE” in big, bold letters. There were people everywhere he looked, mulling around with fancy-looking glasses in their hands. 

And then Kei looked towards the dais and stopped breathing. 

Because sitting on the center golden throne was none other than Tadashi himself - or should he say,  _ Prince  _ Tadashi. 

Not trusting himself to speak, Kei looked at his brother, who was wearing a shit-eating grin after noticing his expression. “Told you he’d be here.” 

“You knew,” he managed to whisper out. “You knew he was the- the Prince.” 

Akiteru sighed. “Kei, I think  _ everyone  _ knew except you.” 

Kei thought that he might faint any second. 

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay,” he added, hastily. “I’m sure he didn’t mind you not knowing. I think he  _ liked  _ that you didn’t know, actually,” he trailed off, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

Caught up in his psychoanalysis of Tadashi, Akiteru didn’t notice Kei walking off until he’d already gone - stalking towards the throne day with a completely blank expression, like he had a mission to complete and was willing to go to any ends to complete it. 

(To tell the truth, his brain was a complete mess right at that moment. It felt like he was looking at his actions through a haze, and he wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing; all he knew was Tadashi.)

It was only when he finally reached the dais, after lots of pushing through crowds of high-pitched girls, that Kei realised he didn’t have a plan for how he was supposed to talk to Tadashi. He was the fucking  _ Prince, _ for gods’ sake - it wasn’t as if he could simply whisk him away into some corner and have a quick catch-up. He stood towards the edge of the crowd, sneaking glances at Tadashi, trying to figure out what he should do. 

Luckily for him, he didn’t have to try any harder. With a sharp gasp of his own, Tadashi’s eyes met his - and for the second time that night, Kei forgot how to breathe. 

Tadashi immediately turned away, a very visible blush creeping up on his cheeks, whispering something to the woman sitting in the throne next to him (who Kei assumed was his mother). Kei didn’t understand what was going on, and his own recklessness was starting to scare him - how did he grow so invested in a boy he’d known for less than three months? 

If Akiteru was here, he’d probably say something about Kei’s loneliness and how he immediately attached himself onto the first opportunity that presented itself. But Akiteru wasn’t here - so Kei pushed his doubts out of his mind and focused instead on whatever the hell was happening in front of him. 

Tadashi had managed to catch Kei’s eyes again, and the blonde could feel an identical blush dusting his own cheeks. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that a court servant standing to the side was signalled forward. She blew on a large trumpet to garner everyone’s attention; and announced, “The Prince will be taking dances now.” 

The shrieks that followed were almost deafening, and Kei could see the laughter in Tadashi’s eyes as he saw the other boy’s wince. (He still hadn’t taken his eyes off Kei.) 

Tadashi got up, slowly, the epaulets on his carefully tailored uniform glinting under the artificial light. His movements were deliberate as he slowly made his way down the dais, and into the crowd, heading straight for Kei. (His eyes were still trained on him.) 

He was standing right in front of him, close enough for Kei to count all the freckles on his cheeks if he wanted. His grin was the brightest that he had ever seen it, and Kei thought that the palace’s beauty paled in comparison to what was in front of him. 

“Hi, Tsukki!” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> something i'd like to mention: the reason tadashi doesn't have a last name here is bc royalty in japan do not have last names!! 
> 
> thank u for reading!! i wrote the whole thing in like 2 hours and its not proofread im so sorry but u can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/transgiyuu) and [curiouscat](http://curiouscat.me/sao206462) :D


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